Second Chances
by chompylycan
Summary: Picks up where Peter Pan has captured Rumple, taken Henry's heart, and Emma has to get them both back.
1. The New King

**authors note: **I wrote this for fun as I have this whole idea about how I'd like the Neverland arc to end on OUAT (It'd never likely happen on the show but that's cool xD). I'm an avid role player but I've never written actual stories on my own before this so, please, if you have any advice then feel free to message me. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you get as much enjoyment from reading it.

The sun hung low in the horizon as a boy with feathery light brown hair stood on the edge of a cliff, his leaf green eyes scanning the vast expansion of trees and mountains below. He could hardly believe he was there in the place he had dreamed of for so long, a magical place that had returned to him his youth and quenched his thirst for fun and adventure, a place that was now his kingdom to rule. It had come with a great sacrifice, one that he was more than happy to forget about as it brought a sharp sting of pain to his little heart every time he thought about it. He had done the right thing, he had tried to convince himself over and over again and after awhile, he even began to believe his own lie.

"**What will you do now, Peter Pan?**" a deep voice asked from behind him.

Glancing away from the glorious view of his new playground, Peter looked over his shoulder to the shadow like creature who hovered off the ground just behind him, it's glowing eyes peering at him with such an intensity it was as if the strange being was looking into his very soul. Grinning, Peter merely shrugged his shoulders before he looked back to the horizon where the sun was about to set.

"**Whatever I want.**" he simply replied as a matter of factly, his grin widening.

"**Neverland is mine to do as I please. Although, an idea does come to mind.**"

Titling it's head, the shadow peered over at Peter before it floated over to the boy's side. "**And what idea is that?**" it asked as it peered over the edge of the cliff as well. Still grinning from ear to ear, Peter bent over to pick up a rock by his feet before he tossed it over the edge, watching it fall down to the foggy depths below.

"**Tell me shadow, have you ever heard of a wishing well?**" he then asked, finally gazing back at his mysterious companion again. Turning it's head slowly, the shadow peered back at the boy, meeting his icy gaze with it's own.

**"Haven't I already given you what you wished for?**"

"**I'm human, laddie, an immortal one but a human nonetheless and I have many needs. Alas, there is one desire I have that even you can not grant me.**"

The shadow contemplated the boy's words in silent consideration for moments before tilting his head curiously once again. "**And this wishing well can**?" Smirking over at the shadow once again, Peter picked up another rock and tossed it but didn't watch it fall like had with the first one, choosing to turn on his heel instead and began walking away.

"**Yes, and I know just where to find one...**" he replied over his shoulder, the mischievous grin never once fading. Staring after the boy, the shadow watched as Peter disappeared behind a thicket of vines and turned it's attention back to the setting sun one last time before obediently following after him...

"**Henry!**"

Their pleas were pointless, unheard words cried out to a corpse as the ever gullible Henry had offered his heart up already to help aid in a cause that never existed in the first place. The blonde one, Emma whom he has become so fond of as it was so amusing to watch her struggle, dropped her blade and raced forward to the limp body of her son with Neal and Regina in tow. He watched them all from a distance as he hovered above them with a large grin on his face, having never felt so alive since he had traded his own son To regain his youth. He had done the impossible. With the heart of the truest believer given to him willingly, he would be able to stay young forever. He'd never have to grow up and face the harsh reality and responsibilities that came with being an adult ever again.

"**Give. It. Back.**" the words were uttered menacingly through clenched teeth, interrupting him from his gleeful thoughts to see the dark haired enchantress glaring up at him, tears streaking down her face. **"Henry's heart...give it back.**" she insisted as she slowly got back up to her feet, her fists clenched down at her sides. Still hovering several yards above them, the boy only grinned smugly down at the pitiful creature pleading with him.

**"Sorry lass, no take backs.**"

His reply didn't seem to sit well with Regina as she let out a frustrated yell, her hands suddenly lighting up with bright orange flames before she began hurling fireballs at him. It was no use though as the boy easily dodged each attack, gracefully gliding through the air.

"**I said, give it back!**" she continued to scream as she fired one last fireball at the boy only to have her arms held down at her sides by Emma.

**"Regina, stop it! If Pan dies, Henry dies with him.**" the blonde pleaded, trying so desperately to calm the other woman down. Though she was still shaking with rage, Regina gazed back at Emma, her teeth still clenched painfully, but extinguished her flames as she knew Snow's darling little girl was right. The enchantress didn't like it, she never did, but dammit, Emma was right. If she killed Peter Pan, there was no way of getting Henry his heart back after. After dodging the last last fireball, Peter laughed, drawing the attention of the group of adults below.

"**Is that the best you've got?**" he asked tauntingly with an arched brow. "**Well, since you've showed me yours, I guess it's only polite if I show you mine.**" he then added as he raised his arms. Suddenly the whole cave began to shake, causing Emma and Regina to nearly lose their balance. Cracks in the cave's ceiling began to form and large chunks of rocks began falling though the air.

"**W-What's happening?**" Emma shouted as she tried to regain her footing while Neal held onto Henry and Regina continued to glare up at Pan. Still grinning, Peter relished the surge of power coursing through his veins as he continued to make the very ground shake beneath him. Once his spell was finished casting, he turned his gaze back down to the adults and lowered his arms.

**"So...bad news is this island is sinking and you're all going down with it.**" he explained, much to everyone else's horror. "**But at least you'll have each other in your watery grave.**" he added with one final salute before he quickly flew out of the cave, leaving everyone else behind in the wake of his destruction.

"**Pan. Get back here!**" Regina shouted after him, though it was no use. Pan was gone, the island was sinking, and she was helpless to stop it.

"**We need to get out of here.**" Neal stated over the noise of the crumbling cave, picking up Henry's limp body and held it protectively close to his chest before he began sprinting for the cave's exit as well. Emma followed in suit with Regina and soon the three of them were back on the sandy banks of Skull Island, the ground still shaking beneath their feet. Looking around however, the boat they had used to arrive to the island was no where in sight.

"**Where's our boat?**" Emma asked, frantically scanning the shore. Regina, having been the first to spot it, finally pointed to a spot in the distance where their boat was just before it disappeared under the water.

"**That little bastard sank it.**"

"**Great. What are we supposed to do now?**" Emma asked as she stared at the distance between them and safe land that wasn't about to sink into the sea. It was too far to swim and who knew what was lurking in the water.

"**Regina!**" It was then that someone shouted at them from the distance and their gazes quickly fell in the direction of the sound.

A woman with vibrant red hair waved at them from the water, frantically trying to get their attention. Squinting her eyes, Regina could barely believe what she was seeing. Or rather, who.

"**Ariel?**"

Ariel swam a little closer to the shore and nodded her head in confirmation to her identity. "**I thought you had left already.**" Regina shouted back to the mermaid in surprise.

"**You know her?**" Neal cut in, staring over at the stranger in the water with an expression of confusion.

Looking back over at him, Regina let out a soft sigh. "**Yes. It's...kind of a long story.**"

"**Of Course it is.**" Emma rolled her eyes as she knew that anything involving Regina Mills was long and complicated.

"**You need to jump into the water!**" Ariel instructed, earning her the attention of the two other women once again.

"**What, are you crazy? In case you haven't noticed, we don't all have fish tails like you do.**" Regina shouted back in reply as she pointed down at her legs. Then, three more mermaids suddenly popped up out of the water beside Ariel and the red headed mermaid smirked over at the group on the still sinking island.

"**No, but _we_ do.**"

"**Can we trust them?**" Neal asked, shifting Henry in his arms.

"**They tried to kill us.**" Emma pointed out.

Regina shook her head. "**This one's good. Annoyingly so, actually. Trust me.**" she sighed once again before she began wading into the water. Emma looked over to Neal who merely shrugged his shoulders before he began wading into the cold water after Regina, Emma reluctantly following suit. Once he was in the water, Neal handed Henry over to Ariel before he placed an arm around one of the other mermaid's shoulders and they all began to swim away from Skull Island as it sank beneath the sea's murky surface...


	2. Lost & Found

The sound of chanting filled the night air as a tribe of Native Americans danced around a campfire in a clearing to celebrate the chief's daughter getting married. With everyone enjoying the festivities and the night a total pitch black, Peter had the perfect cover to sneak around the tribe's camp to a pond that was normally under heavy guard. He scanned his target from the safe camouflage of the tree branches where he had hidden himself, his faithful shadow hiding along beside him, to find that only one guard was keeping a careful eye on the pond's calm waters.

"**That's the wishing well?**" the shadow questioned in a whisper.

"**Yes.**" Peter replied with a grin, unable to contain his growing excitement.

"**Funny, looks more like a pond.**" The shadow pointed out smartly. Peter rolled his eyes, the shadow's literal sense of things beginning to annoy him.

"**Pond. Well. It doesn't matter, what does matter is what it can do. That's why it's always under guard.**"

Staring down at the lone guard, the shadow nodded in understanding.

"**I see.**"

Smirking once again, Peter turned his gaze from the shadow back to the pond where the guard stood vigilant, finally turning his back to them both. Seeing the perfect chance to take the guard out, the boy came out of his hiding spot and flew silently over to the pond where he stopped, hovering just a few feet above warrior. He then reached for the small leather pouch tied to his belt that contained some pixie dust that he had collected back in Neverland and sprinkled a pinch of it over the guard. The glittering green dust worked quickly as soon the warrior felt his eyes grow heavy and he drifted off to unconsciousness in a matter of seconds, his heavy body falling face first into the dirt.

"**Sweet dreams, laddie.**" Peter chuckled as he landed on his feet and stepped over the snoring guard to the edge of the pond.

"**What now?**" The shadow asked as it flew up beside him from their previous hiding spot.

"**Now, my dear shadow, we bring back something I had lost a long time ago.**" Peter explained as he reached under the collar of his shirt and pulled out a silver locket, yanking it free from around his neck before he held it up and examined it. The shadow gazed over at the necklace, tilting it's head curiously as Peter held tightly to the chain only to wind his arm back as he was about to chuck the locket into the pond. The boy's actions were halted however, when the shout of "**Intruder**!" sounded from behind them, drawing the attention of the tribe. Having been caught, the shadow quickly took off to the skies and left Peter to curse under his breath as he ran in the opposite direction through the woods with the warriors hot on his tail.

Weaving between trees and jumping over fallen logs that were rotting on the forest floor, he stopped to press his back up against a tree and reached once again for the pixie dust only to find it was gone. He must've dropped it somewhere and wouldn't be able to fly away without it. Suddenly, his easy snatch and go job just got all that harder. Peering out from behind the tree, he spotted the warriors searching the foliage, poking at the bushes with their sharpened spears and arrows. He began sprinting away from them again, only running a few more meters until he came across their campground.

Teepees towered high above his head and plumes of smoke wafted lazily against the night sky but it was empty, everyone had gone off to enjoy the festivities. Thinking quickly on his feet, Peter headed further into the camp and ducked behind one of the teepees, crouching down to remain hidden. When a twig snapped behind him however, he found himself face to face with a native American girl who appeared no older than he did, her long black hair in braided pigtails with a bright orange lily pinned to the side and her brown eyes gazing down at him curiously. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, he quickly stood up and placed a hand over it, pressing a finger to his own lips to signal for her to be silent. Only when she nodded in understanding did he finally drop his hand and wink at her in thanks.

The warriors arrived at the camp then and began poking their heads into their homes to try and spot the thief who dared to trespass. Peter pressed his back against the teepee he hid behind, his eyes flickering over to the girl who had caught him just in time to see her step out into the Warriors' line of vision.

"**Tigerlily?" **one of them called as he closed in the distance between them.

"**Sorry to disturb you before your wedding, but there's a thief about. He hasn't come this way has he?**"

Peter held his breath as he waited for Tigerlily to answer, hoping that by some miracle she would spare him and send the warriors in some other direction. Luckily, fate seemed to be on his side. Raising an arm, the Native American girl pointed in the distance, far away from where Peter was actually hiding and the warrior signaled to the others before he gave the girl a solemn nod and left. Once the coast was clear, Peter came out of his hiding spot and dusted himself off, relieved that he had finally manged to get the warriors off his trail.

"**Thanks.**" he said gratefully as Tigerlily returned to him.

She merely smiled in response and flushed a bright red color when he kissed her cheek before running off, leaving her behind to a hold a hand up to the spot where his lips brushed against her skin in awe. Leaving the camp behind and cutting into the woods again, he was starting to pant and work up a sweat from all the running. It'd been years since he had so much endless energy. Had he appeared his actual age, he probably would've been caught a long time ago as age has made his limbs ache and his chest sting. Now, he felt like he could run on forever and the thought of almost being caught was exhilarating.

Those thoughts were quickly put a stop as well as his swift running when a warrior suddenly leapt down from a tree in front of him, several others falling in suit with their weapons all pointed at him. Still panting, Peter held up his hands in surrender and backed up slowly as they all began inching towards him. Despite having been cornered, he flashed them all his most charming smile.

"**C'mon laddies, surely you can spare some of that water to give a thirsty boy just one sip.**"

_Apparently not _he thought to himself as the warriors continued to stalk toward him with their weapons still pointed at him. Without a single word, one of the warriors fired an arrow at the boy though it was narrowly dodged by Peter, revealing the shadow behind him who easily caught it in one hand. The warriors all gaped at the strange creature, never having seen anything like it before and kept their weapons raised in alarm. Tossing the arrow aside, the shadow held up the pouch of pixie dust that Peter had dropped and pulled out a handful of it's contents, tossing the powdery substance at the men after Peter had rolled safely out of the way. In a hazy green cloud of glitter, the warriors all fell asleep and began dropping one by one to the leaf strewn ground at Peter's feet. Crossing his arms over his chest, the boy nudged a toe at one of them and smirked when the man only responded with a loud grunt before shifting in his sleep.

"**You were cuttin' it close there, laddie.**" he said as he faced the shadow and snatched the pixie dust back.

This time, he made sure to double knot the damned thing so that he wouldn't lose it again. The shadow said nothing, choosing to follow Peter in silence as they headed back for the pond, it's only guard still curled up on the ground, fast asleep. Swiftly taking out the silver locket as he didn't want to risk being shot at again or speared as spearing was bad, he dropped it into the pond and dumped half of the pixie dust into the water as well. The pond that was once calm began to bubble as a fog of green smoke gathered over it's surface. The shadow watched it all in silent awe as Peter began wading into the chilly waters, stopping in the middle where it came up to his waist.

When the pond began to glow a florescent green color, he sunk down into the water but kept his head and shoulders above the surface only to straighten back up again with a girl in his arms. She was drenched from head to toe, the silver locket Peter had dropped clasped securely around her neck and once she was out of the water, it stopped bubbling and the green haze on it's surface faded. As she awoke and began gasping for breath, Peter kept a secure grip on her, gently whispering to her that everything was fine and that she was safe.

"**Where am I?**" the girl questioned as she blinked the water out of her long lashes.

**"What's going on?**"

"**It's alright, I'm here.**" Peter replied as he set her down on her feet. Looking up at him, she could hardly believe her eyes for a moment.

"**Malcolm?**"

But that couldn't be...he looked just as he did when they met, years ago.

"**Yes, it's me.**" he reassured her as he pushed a strand of her long wet hair away from her lovely face. Suddenly as if she remembered something important, the girl began searching the woods frantically.

"**Our son...**" she started, shivering slightly from the cold water.

"**Where's our son?**"

Peter furrowed his brows at this, suddenly unable to look at her as he turned his head away, a pained expression clouding his face.

"**Malcolm, where is our son?**" she insisted as she grasped at his hand.

"**He's gone." **he finally replied after a few silent moments, turning his gaze back to her. Her delicate skin seemed to pale at the news, her other hand rising up to cover her mouth and the first of her tears began to fall, mingling with the water that surrounded her. Gone? How could he be gone? Her little boy...

"**I'm sorry.**" Peter said sincerely as he pulled her close to his chest and stroked her hair, letting her cry painful chest heaving sobs into his shoulder while his shadow looked on in silence from the pond's edge...

Hovering in the distance, he watched as the last of the island was swallowed up by the cold murky water of the sea and took those who would ruin the life he had built in Neverland with it. The smugness Peter had felt earlier seemed to have sunk with Skull Island, his large smirk replaced with a frown as he pulled out the small jeweled box containing his child and looked down at it.

"**I'm sorry Rumple.**" he then whispered to the box as if the soul trapped inside it could hear him.

"**I'm so sorry.**"

With one last longing look at the spot where Skull Island had once been, Peter placed the box securely back into his pocket before he began flying to the other end of the island. After a few minutes of navigating his way through the mountains, he came across a large tower where a light came from the only window at the very top. Flying up to and through the window, he landed lightly on his feet inside the tower and glanced around at the bedroom that was cluttered with all the things he had collected over the many years of his travels from pocket watches he had swiped to an old telescope that had been placed off to one corner. Books were stacked as far as the eye could see, some of them even placed along the spiraling staircase that lead down to the rest of the tower, their pages filled with fairy tale romances and far off places. In the middle of the room and all the clutter was a bed, it's quilt laid out neatly and it's large fluffy pillows organized.

Looking over at the night stand by the bed, Peter smiled faintly down at one of the dusty picture frames containing a photograph of himself and his wife, gingerly running a finger along it's silver fixtures when he heard her coming up the stairs. Deciding that he wanted to surprise her, he took off into the air again, hiding himself up against the rafters just as she made it to the top of the stairs with several books in hand. Her blonde hair was tied back in a side ponytail and her blue eyes were bright as they glinted in the candle light. He watched with a faint smile as she went along all the stacks of books, organizing them and was unaware that she was being watched by the boy who slowly crept up behind her until he placed a hand over her eyes and nearly startled her.

"**Guess who?**" Peter asked in a playful tone as he landed on the ground once again.

"**Malcolm.**" she answered with a smile, prying his hands away from her eyes. Setting down the last of her books, she then turned around to wrap her arms around his neck and he held her tight.

"**Welcome home, Dearie.**"


	3. The Next Step

"**I'm going to kill him!**"

Emma coughed as the mermaid helped to push her onto the sandy banks of the shore, her wet hair matted around her shoulders and her shirt clinging to her skin. "**I'm going to skin him alive and feed the rest to his sorry band of hooligans.**" Regina, who had been the first to reach the shore, continued to rant as she poured out the water that was in one of her boots.

"**No one is going to kill anyone.**" Emma continued to cough as she sat up on her own and began wringing the water out of her hair.

"**How could you not want him dead after he tried to kill us? After what he tricked Henry into doing?" **Regina asked in disbelief as she slid her boot back on. Emma sighed impatiently as she stood up.

"**Because he's just a boy and because it's wrong.**"

The enchantress smirked at this, her lips twitching slightly at the corners. "**Peter Pan is not a ****_boy_****, he's a pint sized ****_monster._**"

"**Well look at the pot calling the kettle black.**" Emma retorted, earning a glare from Regina.

"**That's it.**" she said through clenched teeth, deciding that she was done playing nice with the blonde and stood up before taking a step toward her.

**"Enough!**" Neal cut in from where he crouched, Henry's limp body which was growing steadily more and more pale resting by his feet. Glaring at the two women, Neal clenched his fists and stood up before he tried to reason with them both.

"**Pan still has Henry's heart. We should be coming up with a plan to get it back now and worry about what to do with him after.**"

Looking from Neal to Emma, Regina crossed her arms and sighed in surrender. "**Agreed.**" she muttered under her breath.

"**We should regroup with the others then.**" Emma stated as she walked over and bent down to pick up Henry. Once he was safely in her arms, she turned and nodded to Ariel and the rest of the mermaids who waited idly in the water.

**"Thank you for your help.**"

**"Be careful, and good luck.**" Ariel replied before she and the other mermaids began swimming away, leaving the rest of the group to pick their way back to Pan's camp.

The sun had set, dipping beneath the horizon and was replaced with a velvety black sky lightly dusted with the stars. Back at Pan's camp, a fire crackled as Killian poked at the red hot logs with his hook before he warmed his hand as he held it a few inches away from the dancing flames. Behind him, Tinkerbell, Wendy, and Charming busied themselves by placing all the unconscious Lost Boys into the cages that they had built to keep Pan's prisoners in case any of them woke up before the others returned with Henry. After closing the door of a cage and locking it, Charming looked down to notice the younger blond beside him was frowning as she shifted her Lost boy around to a position she thought would be comfortable although it was a difficult task considering how small the cage was. She would know, she had been trapped in one for years and it was damn hard to sleep in it. "**What's wrong?**" Charming inquired. Breaking her focus on the Lost Boy, Wendy looked up to see that the man was talking to her.

"**Nothing.**" she replied, though her expression didn't change.

"**We'll get you safely back to your family, Wendy. I promise.**" he reassured her, thinking that she was probably worried about them all. Returning her attention back to the Lost Boy in her care, she decided that his current sleeping position was the best she could do and finally closed and locked the cage.

"**It's not that. I'm very excited to see my brothers again. I just...**"

When her voice drifted off in thought, Charming got down on one knee so that he was almost eye level with her, meeting her gaze to confirm that she could continue and that he was still listening. "**I** **just wondered what would happen to the Lost Boys. Without Peter and his magic, they won't have anyone to look out after them. They wouldn't survive here.**" she finally finished. Standing close by as she was assisting in putting the Lost Boys in their cages, Tinkerbell glanced over at Charming, wanting to know the answer to Wendy's question as well. When Charming didn't answer right away, Wendy went on to explain her concerns. "**They're not bad kids. I know they seem like they are but they're not. They're just angry. I was angry with my parents before I decided to come to Neverland for the first time. I thought that I didn't need them but after being here for so many years, I miss them. I bet that's how the Lost Boys feel about their families.**"

Finally understanding the girl's sadness, Charming placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder**. "We'll take them back with us. We can find them homes in Storybrooke, some of their family members might even still be there." **he finally replied with a smile. "**It won't be easy of course. Most of them will kick and scream the entire way back but I'm not going to leave anyone behind." **he added as his eyes flickered over to Tinkerbell, a gesture that he hoped conveyed that he wasn't about to let the former fairy stay behind on this hellish land by herself either. Catching his gaze, Tinkerbell smiled faintly before quickly looking away and locking the last of the cages.

"**That's wonderful.**" Wendy replied at the news that the Lost Boys would be coming back with them, a smile returning to her face. After gently squeezing her shoulder, Charming stood up again just as the thick jungle that surrounded the camp began to rustle, causing Killian to stand up with his Hook raised ready and alert in case of danger. It was only Snow who stepped into the camp, a couple of rabbits in each hand that she had hunted for dinner.

"**They're still not back yet?**" the short haired Princess questioned as she placed the rabbits by the fire for roasting later. Sitting back down, Killian shook his head in confirmation to her question. "**I'm getting worried.**" Snow said as she glanced over at Charming who walked over to her side and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"**I'm sure they're fine.**" he reassured her as he pulled her close. Emma was perfectly capable of handling herself and Regina and Rumpelstiltskin were masters of magic. With such a powerful trio working together, Pan had no chance of getting away with Henry's heart. His confidence in the rescue party was quickly proven wrong however as the branches on the edge of camp began to rustle again and Emma emerged with Henry in her arms. Everyone looked up to spot the blonde, Killian immediately getting to his feet as she carried her child over to the fire with the rest of the rescue party in tow.

"**Thank heavens, you're alright.**" Snow exclaimed as she as she pulled away from Charming only to tug her daughter into a tight hug after the blonde had passed Henry back to his father. Emma didn't return the hug however, fresh tears starting to burn her eyes.

"**I failed.**" she murmured as if she were only reminding herself of the disaster that happened back on Skull Island. "**I couldn't stop it.**" Pulling away from her, Snow looked at her daughter in confusion when Regina cut in.

"**He took Henry's heart**." the enchantress explained as she smoothed out the hair of her adopted son, her own tears starting to fall again. Looking over at Henry and noticing that he was awfully pale for the first time, Snow held her daughter close again.

"**We'll get it back.**" she reassured the blonde before she gently began wiping Emma's tears away.

"**There's always hope." **Charming stated as he held onto Emma's hand and smiled at her. "**You reminded us of that recently.**" Squeezing her father's hand, Emma inhaled deeply before she nodded in agreement and finally got the mixture of emotions she was feeling under control.

"**Where's the crocodile?**" Killian interrupted the sickeningly sweet little family moment as he noticed that Rumpelstiltskin hadn't returned with them. Neal was the one to answer him, gently placing Henry down by the fire on a blanket that Regina had spread out for him.

"**He went in first after Pan but he wasn't there when we went in.**"

"**His stupid box wasn't there either.**" Regina added as she held onto Henry's cold hand. Looking up at Regina, Neal had a sudden realization.

"**Pan's captured him.**" Of course, he should've known that before but had assumed that his father's lack of presence was due to his cowardice as it always was, that Pan far outmatched him and the old man had simply tucked tail and run. A small stab of guilt pierced at his heart for not having noticed it earlier in all the commotion of trying to get Henry back.

"**Where's Pan now?**" Tinkerbell asked as she stepped over to where the fire was, Wendy following after her and away from the cages.

"**We don't know.**" Neal sighed as he stood up.

"**He didn't come back for the Lost Boys.**" Emma observed as she stared over at the cages, figuring that would've been the first thing the boy would've done now that he had all this power that could actually sink an entire island.

"**Well we can't go searching all of Neverland for him.**" Regina exclaimed with a sense of urgency in her voice. The place was too big and full of hiding spots for the wretch to crawl into. "**We don't have any time. Henry's getting colder.**" Looking from one adult's sullen face to the next, Wendy spoke next.

"**There's a tower**." she started, drawing the attention of those around her. "**It's in the mountains. I heard the Lost Boys talking about it. They're not allowed to go there.**"

"**I know that tower.**" Killian said as a matter of factly. He had seen it before on one of his many trips to Neverland. Though it peaked his curiosity as to why such a strange structure was even there in the first place, he never got the chance to explore it.

"**You can lead us to this tower then?**" Emma asked, a small sense of relief washing over her as the pirate nodded his head. "**It's a shot in the dark but it's better than nothing.**" Emma said as her eyes flickered between Neal and Regina since they both had a say in the matter.

"**I agree.**" Neal concluded, looking over at Regina as well. It didn't take much to convince the Enchantress as her child lay dying at her feet and she was itching to tear Pan apart for it. They had no other leads and she was starting to grow desperate.

"**Lead the way.**" she finally replied as she looked over to Killian. With everyone in agreement as to where their next destination should be, the pirate began leading the way out of camp and back into the jungle. Before Emma turned to follow him, she gave Henry one last glance and instructed Snow and Charming to keep an eye on him.

"**Come back in one piece okay?" **Snow asked, managing to sneak in one last hug before the blonde went off again. "**Okay.**" Emma replied, pulling back before looking over at Charming who smiled at her. She then inhaled another deep breath before she chased after the second rescue party to catch up to them, her parents looking on in concern as they held onto each other...


	4. Let Down Your Hair

The fire was a nice contrast to her wet clothes after having gotten out of the pond. With the blanket wrapped around her snugly and Peter's arm around her shoulder on top of that, she had finally managed to stop shivering as they watched the glowing embers together. After leaving the pond, they had set up camp to rest up before they would take the long journey back to Peter's home, a place that he had described as somewhere magical and wonderful and where they could rebuild their lives. Neverland...even the name sounded wonderful. She wished her child was still alive to go there with them however. Thinking about it made her start to cry again and she wiped her wet cheek. "**Malcolm?**" she sniffed.

"**Hmm?**" Peter replied, though he kept his eyes closed and his head resting gently on top of her's.

"**What happened...to Rumple?**" she asked as she continued to stare at the embers. At the question, Peter's eyes quickly fluttered open and he stiffened slightly, causing her to shift and look up at him. Removing his arm from her, the boy stared into the fire, his brows furrowed in concentration as he picked up a twig and fidgeted with it.

"**He's gone. Knowing why won't bring him back.**"

Sniffing once again, the girl huddled under her blanket and pulled it closer. Despite his words being true, she still wanted to know. "**Please?**" she insisted. Tossing the twig, he stood up abruptly and walked to the other side of the campfire where he began pacing, knowing that she'd never forgive him if he told her the truth. She'd keep pestering him about it though, she was a stubborn girl like that and she did have a right to know. So he decided to lie.

"**You were sick.**" he started as he finally turned back to face her. Closing her eyes, the girl nodded.

"**I remember.**" It was pneumonia, probably from a mixture of being malnourished and cold. She remembered feeling weak and coughing a lot, her body hot to the touch from fever and she had trouble breathing. The last thing she remembered was falling unconscious in the stable where they were squatting at the time, her child shouting at her to wake up though she was unable to reply to him. It was awful.

"**I couldn't get you the medicine that you needed.**" Peter continued as he began pacing again. "**You would've died if I hadn't met that shadow.**"

"**A shadow?**" she questioned as she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"**It told me about this fountain, a fountain of youth. He said that if I dipped you in the fountain's water, then you'd be better again.**" It was frightening how easily he could lie to her as he returned to her side and sat down, reaching out for her hand and squeezing it lightly, hoping that she would believe him. "**Then it told me about Neverland and that we could live there and never grow old or sick ever again.**" Looking down at her hand in Peter's, it all started to make sense for the girl. That pond she had woken up in was a fountain of youth and it also explained why her husband looked as he did the day she had met him, youthful and boyishly charming. Or so she was lead to believe.

"**And Rumple?**" she questioned once again as she curled her fingers around his. A pained expression clouded his face as he closed his eyes, recalling that moment he turned his back on his own child in exchange for eternal youth, casting Rumple away.

"**He was taken by the Indian tribe that guarded the fountain and killed. I tried to save him...to stop them but I couldn't-**" His voice broke as he started to cry, selling the story he had spun with his tears. Feeling her heart break once again as she shared the grief that her husband was obviously experiencing, the girl tugged him close once again and rubbed his back, this time letting him be the one to cry on her shoulder.

"**It's not your fault.**" she whispered comfortingly as she continued to rub his back. Peter clung tightly to his wife as she soothed him, his eyes focused on the woods behind them where his shadow had hidden itself from her all this time, watching them both intently. Both he and the shadow knew of course, that it was entirely _his_ fault and no one else's...

The sound of humming filled the tower as she busied herself with the soup she was cooking in the fireplace. Stirring the large cast iron pot, she added in the mushrooms she had carefully chopped up and stirred those as well before ladling out a small amount of the soup and tasted it, deciding that it could use a little more salt. On top of the dining table that was set off to one side of the kitchen where she had laid out all the other ingredients for her soup, was a small jeweled box. Malcolm had spent the night with her, more energetic and playful than she had ever seen him. There was something different about him although she couldn't seem to figure out exactly what it was that put that extra bounce in his step.

In the morning, he left her, stating that pirates had landed on the island once again and he had to get rid of them to make Neverland safe. Before he left however, he gave her the jeweled box with strict instructions that she should never open it as it contained a great evil. He explained that the pirates wanted the box for their own greedy desires and that he needed her to keep it safe there in the tower that they shared. She then spent a good chunk of her morning examining every detail on the box from the bright red jewel on the top to the dark lines etched into the silver in intricate designs. For something that contained a great evil, she thought the box itself was very pretty. Though she was curious as to what this "great evil" inside it was exactly, she heeded her husband's warning and curbed her curiosity, setting the box down before starting on breakfast.

As she began sprinkling salt into her soup however, the box suddenly began rattling on top of the table. It was only for a moment and it stopped instantly the moment she stopped in her movements to glance over at it. Blinking over at the box to find that it was as she left it, the girl looked away and went back to her soup. After a minute of stirring, the box rattled again and she looked back at it to see that it was still as she had left it. "**I really need to get out of this tower.**" the girl sighed as she placed a hand up to her forehead, deciding that she had been cooped inside for far too long and that her mind was starting to play tricks on her.

As if the box was testing her sanity, it began rattling again, this time so violently that it actually fell off the table and onto the floor which caused her to gasp in surprise. She backed up as far away from the box as she possibly could while it continued to rattle, the red jewel at the top faintly glowing. When it stopped entirely, going back to it's dormant state, the girl craned her neck to examine it as she slowly reached out and poked at the box with her ladle. She then quickly retracted her hand though the box didn't respond. No more shaking or glowing.

Reaching out once again, she decided to poke the box one last time to make sure that it was done shaking and scaring her when the ladle touched the red jewel and it responded, releasing a red smoke. The smoke took the form of an old man who suddenly lunged at her, a hand gripping her throat tightly as he backed her against the wall and pinned her there, causing her to drop her ladle while his vice grip slowly choked the life from her. After Rumple had been freed from his prison in the box, he had expected to find his father in his grip but discovered that it was a girl he was strangling instead. What was worse, was that she was a girl he knew well. "**Mother?**" he said breathlessly in disbelief as he let go of the girl and backed away from her.

But that couldn't be, his mother was dead. She had died when he was twelve years old from sickness. This had to be another one of his father's tricks, like the shadow pretending to be Belle in the woods. How low would his father sink to have it pretend to be his mother now just to get to Henry? In an angry outburst, he picked up a nearby knife she had been using to cut up her vegetables and swiped it at her, leaving a deep cut on her cheek. She let out a sharp cry at the assault, the pain bringing fresh tears to her eyes as drops of blood began to drip from the cut. Blood. She was bleeding. Rumple's eyes widened in surprise. Shadows and illusions couldn't bleed which meant she was real. But how? Dropping the knife, he took a step towards her which forced her to take another step back out of fear that he would hurt her again.

"**S-stay away from me!**" she shouted though her warning was practically harmless as she didn't have anything to defend herself with. She was pretty much stuck in this tower with this mad man after all. "**Who are you?**" she then demanded, not really caring to know his identity but hoped to distract him with conversation long enough that she could find a weapon or maybe sneak around him and hopefully find somewhere to hide. Arching an eyebrow, the man merely peered back at her curiously as he dropped his hands down at his sides. She didn't know who he was, further confirming his belief that this perhaps wasn't a trick after all.

"**My name is Rumple.**" he finally replied. "**Rumpelstiltskin. I'm your son.**"

Her brows furrowed at this, obviously not at all convinced about his identity. Was this the great evil Malcolm had described? This man who hurt her and pretended to be her son to cause further emotional scaring? "**My son is dead so whatever trick you're playing** **at**,** it won't work.**" His gazed followed her, even as she continued to try and inch away from him.

"**Is that what he told you? That I died?**" he questioned, feeling his anger and hatred toward his father rising again. She said nothing, merely glaring over at him when the locket around her neck glinted in the light of the fireplace, catching his attention. ""**Your name is Rapunzel and** **you were from a noble family. You gave up your title and your fortune when you fell in love with father and ran away with him.**" he started as he pointed at the piece of jewelry around her neck. "**That locket.** **It was given to you by your father. Even when we were starving and out in the cold, father refused to sell it because he knows how much you loved it.**" Stopping in her tracks, the girl's expression changed from fear to one of surprise. How did he know that? "**You used to sing a lullaby to me every night and whenever father and I came home you'd say '****_Welcome home-_****'**"

"**_Dearie_**_._" she finished for him in disbelief, realizing that an illusion and trickster couldn't possibly have known any of that. Her son was alive. He was alive and standing before her. "**Rumple?**" Rapunzel whispered as she took a step toward him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. He smiled down at her, his own hand sliding easily over hers as the first of his tears began to fall.

"**It's me mother.**"

A wave of emotions washed over them both as she pulled her son into a hug. "**Oh god, all these years you were alive and I didn't know.**" she cried as she wrapped her arms around his neck and planned never to let him go again.

"**It's not your fault.**" Rumple said before he pulled away from her but held onto her hands. Looking away from him, her saddened expression turned into one of anger and confusion.

"**Your father lied to me. Why would he do that?**" she questioned.

"**Father's changed quite a bit since you died.**" Rumple replied simply, not having the heart or the time to tell her the truth.

"**So I did die.**" she murmured. Another lie her husband had told her which made her begin to wonder just what else he was lying about.

"**Mother, there are others in Neverland that I came with. I need to find them. They'll need my help.**" he went on to explain, cutting their bittersweet reunion short as he picked up the box he had popped out from and placed it in his pocket before he began heading out of the kitchen and up the spiraling staircase, dragging Rapunzel along with him. Once he had reached the top floor, he finally let go of her hand and walked over to the only window and exit out of the tower, pushing it open only to find they were several feet in the air and that there was no way down.

"**This tower was built by magic.**" Rapunzel said as she stood by the window beside him and looked down. "**The only way down is with pixie dust and your father took what I had left with him.**" Stepping away from the window, her son suddenly smirked over at her.

"**In the land where I came from, there's a fairy tale about a girl trapped in a tower with no way down. It must've originated from here.**" Tilting her head, Rapunzel gazed at him with a look of confusion, unsure of what exactly it was that he found so amusing.

"**And what happened to this girl in the story?**" she asked.

"**Well, since she was trapped in this tower, she grew up there and her hair grew with her, becoming longer and longer until she was able to use it as a rope and climb down.**" Rumple finished.

"**That's a very nice story, Dearie, but I don't know how that helps us.**" Rapunzel replied. Last time she checked, her hair was only waist length and as long as her son's hair was, it certainly wasn't enough for them both to use it to climb down.

"**Well, mother. It gives me an idea.**" he smirked once again as he took a step back from her and held up a hand, twisting it with a small flick of his wrist. Suddenly, Rapunzel's light blond hair began to grow rapidly, cascading down her back onto the floor and even then it didn't stop and just continued growing. Her blue eyes widened in surprise as she held a handful of her golden locks up to examine.

"**You have magic.**" she murmured, still in shock as she dropped her hair and looked back at him. Her son had magic. That was new.

"**Like father like son I suppose.**" he replied bitterly as he gathered as much of her hair as he could carry in his arms before he threw it over a sturdy hook in the room and created a makeshift pulley system. Once he was finished, he gathered up the ends of the golden locks and dropped them out the window where they reached all the way to the ground below. Once he finished, he turned back to his mother and offered her the crook of his elbow, a grin on his face that reminded her so much of his father, especially when Malcolm thought he was being particularly clever. "**Shall we?**" he asked as he held onto a section of her hair and stepped up onto the window's ledge. Returning his smile, Rapunzel picked up her skirts and wrapped her arm around his, taking a section of her hair in her free hand and climbed up on the edge as well before she closed her eyes, held her breath, and jumped...


End file.
